


Kamen Rider Neo-N

by Crimsonflight



Category: Kamen Rider - All Media Types
Genre: Female Kamen Riders, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, Original Fiction, Original Flavour Kamen Rider Setting, Quests, Repost from SV, Tokusatsu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:35:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24339730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crimsonflight/pseuds/Crimsonflight
Summary: The year is 20XX, a time of great turmoil. The evil organisation Argo-N seek to exploit this unrest, using mass manipulation, advanced cyborgs and occult science in order to control the very fate of the world. But in Japan, one man stands against them. His loud cries rouse the nation. He calls on them to become strong, to seize the reins of their lives and decide their own destinies. And despite Argo-N's desperate attempts to stamp out his cause, his galvanising voice only draws more and more to his banner.For they see him as the leader that Japan needs in these troubled times.Only one person knows his true nature. Only his child, Setsuna Nakano, knows that he is an executive of the very Argo-N he claims to oppose! She knows that his passionate words exist to serve their will, to pave a path for their conquest.And only she can stop them.Donning the mantle of Kamen Rider, Setsuna Nakano opposes Argo-N with their own occult science. Not only must she reveal her father's lies, but also put a stop to Argo-N's evil before it is far too late![Story-Only Archive for this quest: https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/kamen-rider-neo-n-original-flavour-kamen-rider-quest.66373/]





	1. Episode 1.1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a repost of my ongoing original flavour Kamen Rider quest over at the Sufficient Velocity forums. For those who aren't aware of the quest format, essentially it's serialised interactive fiction, where each update is voted on by the thread-goers. I'll be posting this update by update, and hopefully I remember to have this updated alongside SV.

"- _even as they besiege our beloved nation with constant attacks, know that we will never surrender! The monsters can try as they like, but I know that our people will struggle to the very end - and emerge victorious over their evil! I promise you that our heroism shall pave a way for -"_  
  
In a quiet burst of static, the television screen turned black.  
  
The man standing at the counter stared up at the analogue television set hanging from his ceiling, before slowly turning his gaze to the girl holding the remote.  
  
"It's a bit rude, isn't it?" he asked, his expression one of surprise. "Some of my customers are real fans of your dad, you know?"  
  
"... Is that so?"  
  
Raising a cup of steaming hot coffee to her lips, the girl's eyes quietly glanced around the room at the customers - or, to be precise: the lack of customers - filling the tables. The café-slash-restaurant named Ondul Kingdom was a cozy and intimate little place, the kind that promised light but filling lunches and great-tasting coffee. But right now, in the middle of the early afternoon, there seemed to be very few in search of Mr Tsubaki's cooking.  
  
And thus, very few who would even care for whatever he sought to broadcast on his ancient television.  
  
"Come on, Sets! There's ... those kids over there, right?" The proprietor pointed over at a pair of children sitting at one of the far tables. "It might not be lunch yet, but my customers might want to watch!"  
  
Of course, the children were paying absolutely no attention to the television. For one, their age meant they were probably utterly uninterested in the news. Another was that Mr Tsubaki's television was probably thrice their age, and they likely had no clue why one would watch television on a CRT screen instead of a tablet. And third, they were busy playing video games over the café's free Wi-Fi, and could not at all hear anything that was happening over at the counter.  
  
"Mmhm."  
  
"Okay, look -" Mr Tsubaki could only sigh, shaking his head. His ponytail swung with every motion. "I thought you would be enjoy it, right? Your dad's really popular! And he's saying some pretty nice stuff, makes me feel like the streets are pretty safe, even with those weird flying shadows around, you know?"  
  
"... It's embarrassing."  
  
"Oh, I didn't think of that! Sorry, Sets."  
  
That was a lie.  
  
Setsuna Nakano was not at all embarrassed by her father's speeches. Oh, she definitely felt something for Shougo Nakano's rousing words, but they were not at all embarrassment. They were something far less quaint, and far more ... hostile. But she had no plan to dwell on them at this time. Not while she was enjoying her freshly brewed coffee, another masterpiece of Mr Tsubaki. Indeed, as flighty as the man was - and as strange his slurred pronunciation of words - she would never denigrate his skill at the press. That would be blasphemy.  
  
"No trouble," she replied smoothly, sipping away at her drink with a satisfied sigh. "In any case - you are a barista blessed by the beans, Mr Tsubaki."  
  
The proprietor scratched his goatee sheepishly. "Hah, I wouldn't put it that way, but you really know how to make a guy feel proud, Sets."  
  
"It's well-deserved."  
  
To spend her days in Ondul Kingdom, drinking coffee and passing the time in peace ... that sounded like bliss to her. It was a nice little dream, a window into a calm and easy life. But ... it was still a dream. Setsuna could not afford to believe in such things. There was no place in her life for a dream. Far too much was at stake, and at any moment, the peaceful life tucked in this little alleyway could be shattered in a single instant.  
  
"Cheese! We got a problem!"  
  
Like so.  
  
Bursting through the doors of the café-slash-restaurant - hunched over and gasping for air - was Hiroki, one of the employees of Ondul Kingdom. He could barely speak between breaths, hands resting against his knees as he tried to stammer out the words.  
  
"Cheese! Ch-Chief! Suzuki ... Suzuki got hurt!"  
  
Setsuna's attention immediately alighted upon him.  
  
"What?!" That was Mr Tsubaki, shock crossing his face. "What happened?"  
  
"We ... we were doing your deliveries and then ... and then ... something attacked him and -!!"  
  
He was huffing. The panic had set in, adrenaline overtaking Hiroki and leaving him a blubbery mess. There was likely too much for him to explain at once, too great a mystery and too shocking an event for him to even properly comprehend. But Setsuna - she knew exactly what was happening. Down to her very veins, she instinctively knew the source of Hiroki's terror.  
  
"Hiroki," she spoke, drawing his eyes towards her. She needed to keep him focused on the information she sought.

[] "Describe the thing that attacked him." ( _This has the scent of Argo-N's monsters._ )  
[] "When and where did this occur?" ( _Is this one of your schemes, father?_ )  
**[X] "Tell me where Suzuki is right now." ( _He's being targeted by an Argo-N plot!_ )**


	2. Episode 1.2

In this city she called home, there was very little that could be described so vaguely as a "something". And all of them ... all of them were linked to another "something" that was dangerous beyond belief. So it was absolutely paramount that she knew how Suzuki was doing. Where he had gone. Even though she bore an expression of calm - it was for Hiroki's sake. Seeing him run into Ondul Kingdom in such a state of panic and fear ... it filled her with worry too. If Suzuki had been hurt, then how could she not be concerned for his safety?  
  
"Deep breaths, Hiroki," the girl continued reassuringly. "Is Suzuki fine? Tell me where he is."  
  
Hiroki sucked in air, trying to calm himself. His knees were wobbling, white dread gripping his face. He was like a frightened animal, his instincts screaming at him to cower and hide. But ... Setsuna's powerful gaze held him still. Her sharp but gentle eyes patiently waited for his answer, and her questions something he could at least focus his mind on.  
  
"... Ambulance took him," he managed, voice shaky. "A big bite ... he's at the hospital - at Chuusei ...!"  
  
Setsuna nodded, giving the young man a smile. "Thank you. That's all I needed to hear."  
  
If the other employee of Ondul Kingdom was there ... then that was one worry somewhat dealt with at least. However, this wasn't something she could ignore so easily. The girl slid off her chair, grabbing her helmet from where it sat upon the counter. She could feel her suspicions tingling more and more with every new little tidbit. But she couldn't rely on Hiroki, not when he was like this. She needed to go. She needed to confirm things for herself.  
  
"I'm going to check up on Suzuki," she said, quickly making a beeline for the door. "Keep the change, Mr Tsubaki!"  
  
"What? Ah - but your coffee ..."  
  
Right.  
  
Setsuna immediately reversed. Within seconds, she once again held onto a warm cup of ambrosia.  
  
"Wait ... Sets, that's still hot -!"  
  
In a single motion, the girl poured the entire steaming cup of coffee down her throat.  
  
This was not at all an ideal way for her to enjoy Mr Tsubaki's handiwork. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and the alternative was unthinkable.  
  
"Pardon me."  
  
And then she was gone, the door tinkling behind her.  
  
Mr Tsubaki stared after her. Down at the empty cup. And back up.  
  
The door gently creaked to a halt.  
  
"... Politico kids sure are reckless, huh?"  
  
~~~  
  
Chuusei University Hospital wasn't too far from Ondul Kingdom. It was at most a thirty minute walk, but having recently acquired for herself a license (and a Suzuki T20 from an old man in Shizuoka), Setsuna could cut the travel time down to a mere seven. It was actually possible to lower it even further to only five, but earning the intersection's favour was still a little beyond her. Losing those two minutes was just a little galling, especially when so much could easily happen within that time, but at least in this case - the added travel didn't particularly hurt.  
  
"Is Suzuki Yamagata in?"  
  
And given that she had to wait in the reception anyway, it really made no difference.  
  
"Let me check," answered the receptionist she had approached. "He should be ... oh, Mr Yamagata's in the emergency department right now. Room E05. He's stable but I can't let you visit ... ah, are you a family member?"  
  
The emergency department? The word "stable" clamped down on the sudden surge of unease, but even so ... this was worse than she had thought.  
  
"No," replied Setsuna.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, but only family can ... ah, are you possibly his ... girlfriend?"  
  
"... Yes."  
  
That was a lie.  
  
Setsuna Nakano was not at all romantically interested in the Ondul Kingdom employee. Oh, she definitely thought he was a good person, and decently skilled at making coffee, but she could only at best describe him as a good acquaintance. Not due to any fault of his, but there were simply too many reasons why they were incompatible. However, in this situation - she needed to find a way to visit him. Knowing that he was "stable" may have been a comfort, but she still needed to see what happened to him with her own eyes.  
  
She still needed to confirm her suspicions.  
  
"Ah, well ..." The receptionist seemed a little hesitant. "We still have a family policy, but um ... I can try and get you in there ..."  
  
"Nah, lemme take it from here."  
  
From behind Setsuna came a deep, gruff voice - one that sounded as if an entire carton of cigarettes had been granted life. She turned around to face the speaker. And her first impression ... was that the cigarette hypothesis seemed frighteningly possible. Standing there was a large man, a head taller than even her, clad in a large grey overcoat and an aged and worn trilby. His face could have been chiselled from stone - and in fact, the girl thought he looked quite a lot like famed film director and comedian Beat Takeshi. Three scars also ran along his right cheek, and a lollipop hung loosely from the side of his mouth.  
  
"Detective Kuo, MPD." He doffed his hat. "So little lady, you that Suzuki kid's girlfriend?"  
  
"... Yes, yes I am."  
  
Setsuna made a mental note to continue recycling the lie, lest she contradicted herself in the future. At least while Suzuki remained in hospital - she would have to lie about breaking up at some point. And apologise once he recovered. No matter how necessary she thought it, it was still incredibly rude of her.  
  
The detective let out a quiet 'heh', barely catching the lollipop that fell from his mouth before pulling a notebook out of his coat with his other hand. "Aight, that's good. I needed to talk to his pals anyway, so I'll tell ya how he's going if you gimme some deets too, that good?"  
  
"Of course," replied Setsuna smoothly. "I'll do whatever I can to help you, officer."  
  
"Perfect." Detective Kuo stepped out of the path of a pale, short-haired girl in a wheelchair. He looked around, studying the large number of people milling about the hospital reception. "But gotta take this shindig somewhere else - this place's got too many prying ears."  
  
~~~  
  
The place with fewer 'prying ears' (Setsuna was certain the actual saying was 'away from prying eyes', but bringing it up seemed irrelevant when she mostly needed to pump the detective for information) was the car park behind the hospital. It was a quiet place, empty of everything but cars and the two of them. Her motorcycle wasn't present - she had left it at the front entrance instead.  
  
"What happened to him?" the girl asked immediately. "How is he? I heard he was attacked on a delivery, but -"  
  
"Woah woah, slow down little lady." Detective Kuo raised his hands, halting Setsuna's barrage of questions. "Lemme take it one at a time. Your squeeze is stable. He ain't too great, but the docs don't think he'll bite the bucket."  
  
Again, Setsuna decided against correcting the man. It was actually kind of funny.  
  
"Anyway, he's got some ... crazy poison or something in him." Kuo seemed a little surprised by the details himself. "Yeah, weird huh? But that's the real nickel. Turns out he and his delivery partner were over near the docks, at the warehouses, and - oh yeah, that kid ran off somewhere, wanted to ask if you know where to point me for that?"  
  
... The scent of their work - Setsuna could smell it. It absolutely reeked.  
  
"He's still at Ondul Kingdom, it's a café not too far from here," she answered, already beginning to make plans herself. "But, last I saw, he was in shock. So ... would it be fine if you visit him a little later?"  
  
The detective scribbled a few notes down. "Nice, but damn, yeah," he muttered. "Guess seein' a mate paddled by some shadow thing and poisoned ain't gr-"  
  
He froze. However, it was too late. Setsuna's ears had already locked onto that snippet of information.  
  
"Pardon me?"  
  
Kuo sighed. "Shit, aight. Look, lady ... not gonna tell ya to forget it - but ... we don't know much yet so don't tell anybody."  
  
Luckily for him, she had no plans to.  
  
"Is that why you wanted to know where Hiroki is?" Setsuna asked. It made sense to her. A mystery like this ... the regular police would rarely see such in their lifetime. Of course they would be hunting down the most prominent witness. And ... possibly a potential suspect.  
  
She knew the barista was innocent, of course. The potential in his coffee would never lie.  
  
"... That's the kid's name? Yeah. We really wanna pick his brain there."  
  
The detective took a lick of his lollipop. His face was squeezed taut - making him look like a leather patchwork scribbled on by some child - as if in deep thought. After a few seconds, he sighed again, popping the candy back into his mouth and writing something else on his notepad.  
  
"Aight, okay." Kuo nodded, handing over paper and a pen. The pen was sticky. "Gimme your name and number. I don't wanna scare the kid right now, but tell me if he's ready and I'll pay a visit - or if you know his hit me up."  
  
"Mhmm." Setsuna acquiesced, writing down her own number and name. Hiroki's details were omitted. Giving his phone number to the police without his consent did not sit right with her, though admittedly providing her own information was ... a bit risky too.  
  
But, she was already involved. And she had done nothing that could rouse suspicion yet ... as long as Detective Kuo didn't visit before she could get her lies in order.  
  
As she handed the paper back, the police officer's brows quirked up.  
  
"Nakano? As in that Diet guy's ..."  
  
His phone rang. The tone was the Sazae-san theme.  
  
It was very Heisei of the man to still use a ringtone.  
  
"Shit, sorry, gotta take this." Detective Kuo turned away, dropping the notepad into a pocket and answering the call. "Yo, Kuo here. What's up?"  
  
His eyes immediately narrowed.  
  
"Another one? Where? That close? Shit, I'm on my way."  
  
With the press of his large thumb, he ended the call.  
  
"Sorry kid," he said gruffly, glancing your way. "Can't chat no more. Shit to deal with. But I'll call if anything happens, aight?"  
  
And with that, he was already off. Likely running for his car.  
  
Setsuna didn't blame him. His hurry was completely understandable. Far too understandable.  
  
Because she was very much aware of what the source of his panic was. And what the source of Suzuki's terrible situation was. They were one and the same.  
  
That wretched scent again ...  
  
"This is an Argo-N plot."  
  
**Setsuna's next move:**  
**[X] In case Argo-N returned to finish off Suzuki, she should infiltrate his room in the emergency department. The receptionist had helpfully given her the number.**  
[] Follow after Detective Kuo. If another victim of Argo-N had been found, it was her responsibility to deal with it - and if evil remained ... she could do something.  
[] Sneak into the scene of Suzuki's attack. If there was any evidence, she knew somebody who could help her make sense of it all.


	3. Episode 1.3

As Setsuna watched the scarred detective drive off, she briefly wondered if her attention was needed at the scene as well. There was no further room for doubt that Argo-N was involved - the unpleasant stench of their evil oozed from Suzuki's predicament, and she could almost see their hands working from within the shadows, manipulating the lives of innocents as if they were nothing but puppets on strings. To those carrying out Argo-N's dark will, the sanctity of life mattered not one bit.  
  
... It was absolutely unforgivable.  
  
The girl glanced up at the hospital's upper floors, eyes idly tracing a path along the rafters. Somewhere within the emergency ward, Suzuki was lying unconscious - a victim of Argo-N's terrible crusade. She didn't know if his survival had been intended by the secretive organisation, or if the heavens chose to grant him reprieve from oblivion, but whatever the truth of his situation, it was her duty to protect his life - to protect him from any further harm Argo-N could possibly send his way.  
  
She took a few steps back.  
  
Then she ran for the wall. Her shoes squeaked as she scuffed against stone, the jump propelling her high enough to grasp onto a protruding overhang. Less than a second later, Setsuna was already shimmying across to a gutter and using it to pull herself up onto a rafter. She took in a quick breath, scanning the area to see if anybody had noticed her actions. There was no one. The car park was still empty - which suited her fine. Indeed, as easy as it was for her to climb up the side of a building, doing so without getting caught would have been a lot harder if someone had seen her. Now, as long as nobody looked up, the hardest part was already past her.  
  
Unless the window to Room E05 was locked. Picking a lock from the outside was still beyond Setsuna's abilities.  
  
Well, she would just have to deal with things as they happened. The girl blew on her hands, lightly dusting them together. If she remembered correctly from her previous visit to Chuusei, the emergency department was still a distance away from where currently stood. In fact, it was located on the third floor of an attached building rather than the main hospital itself - something that would necessitate more than a few riskier jumps.  
  
But for a lifelong acolyte of renowned comedian and film director Beat Takeshi, scaling the hospital was a simple task. In a way, it was actually quite a familiar and comfortable experience, even if she were to account for the possible legal repercussions of being found out.  
  
Not that Setsuna would let that happen.  
  
~~~  
  
Suzuki Yamagata was twenty-one years old, a Tokyo native, part-time employee of Ondul Kingdom and student of computer science at a nearby university of technology. He was helpful and good-natured (if overly self-confident and more than little arrogant) but had a tendency to overlook his own careless mistakes. Though his coffee was generally decent, at times it would take on a bitter taste - a consequence of him sometimes letting the coffee step for too long. Whenever he was in charge of serving her, Setsuna always made sure to set her expectations low - unlike with his neurotic friend Hiroki, whose more consistent work showed the depths of his prowess with the beans. However, rather than becoming a master barista, Suzuki’s dream was instead to start a software company, so she was willing to grant him slack on that front.  
  
He was also currently single, having never dated anybody since breaking up with his boyfriend in middle school.  
  
That was actually something she’d learnt from Hiroki instead of directly from the horse’s mouth, but in any case - the fact of the matter was that Suzuki was someone she personally knew and was decently acquainted with, a regular fixture of her peaceful life at Ondul Kingdom. And now, like so many others who had once also been fixtures in people’s lives, he had become a victim of Argo-N.  
  
In a single, horrible blow, the organisation shattered the serenity of his normal life. The untroubled, regular days that they once shared had been rudely disturbed. Argo-N’s actions had not only hurt Suzuki, but everybody around him.  
  
And she knew … they revelled in it.  
  
Setsuna pressed herself against the wall, carefully toeing along a small outcropping towards E05. From where she stood, she could see that the window was shut tight, but her ears still picked up on the muffled murmuring coming from within the room. Clambering up the pipe to better her position, the girl leaned over to peek through the glass. Inside were four figures - the man unconscious on the bed - electrodes attached to his body, was clearly Suzuki - while the other three were medical professionals, their eyes glued to an electrocardiogram on display.  
  
She couldn’t hear what they were saying. But the confusion in their body language … the dumbfounded expressions … it was obvious that they had no clue what to make of Suzuki’s state. It wasn’t something she could blame them for. The young man had become a victim of Argo-N’s evil and inhuman occult science - it would naturally be alien to those who had sworn to protect human life.  
  
One of the doctors - an old, bespectacled man - decided to lean over for a better look.  
  
Suzuki’s eyes snapped wide open.  
  
Before anybody else could react, he rose from the bed, snarling and clamping a hand around the doctor’s wrist. A mere instant later, Suzuki’s mouth was biting into the neck of the unfortunate man, who flailed and screamed as gnashing teeth dug into his veins.  
  
It was a monstrous sight.  
  
The windows violently rattled, frame shaking and shrieking, as Setsuna desperately attempted to pull them open. But it was to no avail. Even as chaos intensified inside the room, she was locked out - separated from the horrific violence occurring right before her eyes. She needed to act. She needed to get inside.  
  
The girl pulled her legs as far back as she could without losing her grip.  
  
And she swung forth into the damnable window.  
  
Setsuna crashed feet-first into the room in a hail of glass. Shattered fragments of the window rained down all around her, thin cuts sliced across her skin and leather jacket. The pain barely registered to her. She was already moving, nearly tripping over the shards scattered across the floor as she tackled Suzuki straight across the room, slamming the snarling young man into the wall. He thrashed wildly beneath her, and for the first time, she could clearly see his face.  
  
His eyes were wide, feral. Unfocused.  
  
But more prominently - his open mouth - the sickly fangs protruding free -  
  
“Get away from here!” she roared at the doctors, pushing a leather glove into Suzuki’s maw to hold him down. “Alert anybody who -”  
  
Her words rapidly died in her throat. The old man had been thrown onto the bed when she had tackled Suzuki off him, blood dripping from his neck, but now … now he was rising, cracked glasses loosely hanging from his face, mouth lifelessly agape. He was rising the same way as Suzuki had.  
  
And the fangs started lengthening before her eyes.  
  
It was infectious.  
  
That was the only possibility.  
  
Setsuna’s mind was in a rush. The poison that had supposedly afflicted Suzuki … it wasn’t a poison at all! It had transformed him, changed his very behaviour to make him into the aggressive, ravenous berserker she was barely able to restrain. It was more akin to a virus - and it had spread to the old doctor … meaning …  
  
The young man below her pushed, spitting the glove free. Setsuna staggered back, almost slipping to the ground. But she held her ground, delivering a hard kick directly into Suzuki’s torso. He doubled back, yelping almost like a rabid animal, clearly in pain. The sound stabbed deeply into her heart. But she couldn’t afford to stop right now. She turned away, taking the brief second opening she had made for herself to dash for the old man (now lunging for his colleagues), throwing herself between him and one of the other physicians and holding out an arm to block his charge.  
  
His teeth bit down. Setsuna grit her teeth as the fangs dug into the hard leather. Pain lanced through her arms - but she could resist it. Her jacket held enough of him back. He could not break through her skin. She - and the other doctors - were safe.  
  
Argo-N could not make slaves of them. She had to protect them. No, she had to protect everyone in the hospital. She could not allow the heretical science of Argo-N to enthrall the others - especially those who also remained in this emergency ward. Setsuna had no answers at her disposal, but her goal was clear: she had to stop Argo-N from creating more victims!  
  
 _How dare they use the occult for such purposes!  
  
How **dare** they do such a thing to innocent people!_  
  
If she could hold back the infection - limit it to this room and this room alone -  
  
“Escape now!” the girl shouted again. “Lock the door! Barricade it! Do not -”  
  
She desperately slammed a fist into the old doctor’s side. Something cracked. Setsuna inwardly winced - sorrow and guilt striking her deep within. But - it was enough to get him off her. Enough for her to move again, to pull Suzuki off one of the two panicked physicians. She wrestled with him, putting all her strength into blocking his path.  
  
“- let anybody in!” Setsuna gasped for breath and then grit her teeth. “I’ll hold them off!”  
  
She kicked Suzuki again, knocking him away from the door. Behind her, the doctors finally managed to recover enough of their wits - and ran for the door. Setsuna could barely breathe out a sigh of relief before the old doctor was once more on the attack, staggering towards her.  
  
Whatever she broke - anger and shame struck her a lightning bolt at the thought - was keeping him from moving as fast as he could. She hated it. She hated what she had done. She hated what Argo-N had done to him.  
  
But she had to hold the emotions at bay. For their sake. For their lives.  
  
Setsuna pushed him back, this time with less intensity. He stumbled back, giving her space. The sound of the door slamming shut was just as much breathing room. As was the click of the lock, shutting the room off entirely. Good. The infection was at least temporarily contained.  
  
It wouldn’t spread too far. This … zombie, thrall, ghoul - whatever name suited - bioweapon of Argo-N’s … if she could somehow stop it here …  
  
She fended off another strike from Suzuki, settling into a defensive position.  
  
… No.  
  
The horrifying realisation almost ripped her heart out.  
  
Whatever had attacked Suzuki … the monster … the delivery vector for this virus … it was still out there! Argo-N was still able to ravage the innocent with this disgusting, vampiric weapon!  
  
What could she do?!  
  
The infected men circled her, spittle flying as they gnashed away.  
  
If she could trust the hospital to hold these two back, would she be free to hunt down the source of this outbreak before any further tragedy could occur elsewhere? But if she left - if she delegated her responsibility here - what if they could not be contained?! Even the slightest hesitation - it could ...  
  
She mentally apologised as she ducked out of the path of another attack by Suzuki, her foot lashing out to trip him into the wall.  
  
… it could spread.  
  
Spread even further.  
  
If she stayed to help, then … was there anybody who could act beyond the hospital?  
  
 **Setsuna chose to:**  
[] Escape from the room - she had to hunt down the source of the outbreak as soon as possible. She could not allow a virus to propagate elsewhere in the city!  
 **[X] Stay and protect the hospital. There were people she could contact, such as:**  
\- [] The police. If they were already aware of a monster, then maybe they could act to at least mitigate the damage and lock an area down! But, could she trust them?  
 **\- [X] An expert on the occult. Signs of the monster’s existence could be identified, and maybe she could obtain a better understanding … but could her senior stop another outbreak?**  
\- [] ………….. Father. He … could deal with this without issue.


	4. Episode 1.4

Although the monster that attacked Suzuki still freely roamed, Setsuna could not in good conscience abandon the hospital for the sake of hunting it down. It tore at her to leave people at Argo-N's mercy, but Chuusei demanded her protection as well. With the two men before her already under the thrall of dark science, if they were to somehow escape the room and into the rest of the emergency department ... an unspeakable tragedy could occur! She absolutely could not put the patients at further risk!  
  
The girl slipped behind the doctor as he charged once more, pulling him into a tight hold against her chest. At the same time, she managed to free her phone from the pocket of her leather jacket, and as the infected old man continued to struggle - whimpering under the light of the screen - Setsuna hit the quick dial, the quiet ringing of her Blackberry quickly filling the air. But no matter how strongly the doctor strained against her arms, he could not escape; even when disregarding the injury she had dealt him, he had passed the prime of his life, while she was a fit young woman on the doorstep to hers. And for the sake of everybody else in the hospital - she would not let go.  
  
It was a stalemate. The doctor could not escape. And every time Suzuki attempted to make an approach, Setsuna manoeuvred around to meet him - holding the old man out as a barrier between them. Her phone was held precariously against her ear, ringing away as she desperately hoped for the call to connect.  
  
And after what felt like an eternity, it did.  
  
"Hi hi, Hirogami her-!"  
  
Her response was immediate, barely even giving her senior a chance to finish. The explanations spilled out of Setsuna's mouth in short, sharp breaths. "Infects people. Via bite to neck. Elongated canines - fangs. Mental alteration. No control of themselves. Virus? Maybe vampirism?"  
  
"Where are you?" The woman on the other end dropped the cheer. "Is the monster th-?"  
  
"Chuusei's hospital." Suzuki attacked again, this time from the side. Setsuna roughly pulled herself and the doctor away, wincing at the pained sound the old man made. "The monster is somewhere in the city. I'm currently handling two infected here -"  
  
No. One of the other doctors - he might have been bitten. He had been in contact with Suzuki. The girl cursed herself. How could she have been so careless?  
  
"I have problems here," she quickly amended, stomping down on the frustration before it could leak into her voice. "Yacchin! The symptoms resemble poison. It was last seen at the docks! Can you try to identify it and -"  
  
"Look out for vampire-style outbreaks and find a way to stop it? Hah, you bet I can."  
  
It was impossible to describe the situation as anything but grim. Elsewhere in the emergency department, another outbreak had likely already begun - and those around that infected would be entirely unprepared. Yet just hearing her friend's confident answer ... the relief flowing into her was almost palpable.  
  
"Thank you." A smile graced Setsuna's face. Once more, she dodged another of Suzuki's lunges. "But sorry Yacchin, I can't talk too long. I'm a little ... busy."  
  
Her senior only laughed. "Go get 'em, Setsuna."  
  
A crackle on the other end.  
  
"Oh, and try something bright?"  
  
Her phone chimed. The call disconnected.  
  
Setsuna allowed herself a small smile. But it faded just as quickly as it appeared, reality settling back in. She let go of the doctor, dropping him onto the empty bed with a thud. He wheezed, his aging body unable to keep up with the evils forced upon him by Argo-N's despicable plot. It was a loathsome sight, but at the same time ... she knew he was no longer a threat. That was a label she could now only apply to Suzuki - the more mobile and resilient of the pair. She needed to deal with him as soon as possible if she was to chase the other doctor down!  
  
Her eyes rapidly glanced around the room. The seeds of an idea began to sprout inside her mind.  
  
She was immediately granted the opportunity to make it a reality. As he had done so many times before, Suzuki went on the attack, snarling open wide and arms outstretched to grab at her. But the result did not change. The girl easily blocked his amateurish swings, and this time she directed the light of her phone into his face before weaving right past him, delivering a chop to his back before he could even recover. The infected barista staggered and stumbled, almost tripping to the floor.  
  
As he tried to regain his balance, Setsuna was already moving, grabbing a shard of glass right off the floor and tearing it through the nearest curtain. She ignored the cut on her palm, blood staining white fabric as she ripped the newly-made piece free. A moment later, Suzuki was pushed up against the wall, and she quickly and tightly bound his wrists together with the makeshift cloth. It was an uncomfortable action - and if she was to be honest the knot was weaker than she would have preferred, but time was of the essence, and there were no other options.  
  
A scream rang out across the ward.  
  
Setsuna jumped out the window.  
  
Her hand grasped onto the closest pipe, metal scraping against her skin. She ignored the pain, precariously pulling herself up and onto the outcropping of the empty room next door. The sound had come somewhere further down the hallway. Had the outbreak just started? Or was it already in full gear? Setsuna swung her entire body into the glass, again ruining her jacket with shards upon shards as she rolled straight across the bed and into the opposite wall. She hoped it was the former. But she couldn't afford to be careless.  
  
Every second counted.  
  
She staggered painfully to her feet, pushing open the door and into the hallway. Her eyes hurriedly looked around as she tried to remember which way she had heard those doctors go. Another scream from her left answered that question. Setsuna promptly ran for it, darting down the empty hallway towards the source of the sound. Her footsteps pounded against the linoleum. How would she deal with the situation? How many could have been infected? Would she have to ...?  
  
And a terrible sight greeted her at the end of the hall.  
  
Chuusei University Hospital was a reasonably prestigious institution - a recipient of numerous significant donations over the years - and its architecture sought to reflect that fact. On the second floor of the emergency department was an impressive balcony, one that exited out over the small parterre garden that sat behind the building. It was a beautiful piece of construction, ostensibly created to help with patients' recuperation by soothing their ills with beautiful scenery. It was a place of calm and relaxation, a small getaway from the harsh toil of diagnoses, surgeries, medication and the like.  
  
Right now, it was anything but.  
  
The lobby was in chaos. Setsuna could see eight thralls scattered across the building: three were on the ground floor, circling a barricade of couches and plastic chairs behind which a number of people (seemingly uninfected, much to her relief) were hidden behind. One man - dressed in janitorial garb - tightly held a broom in his hands, and every time an infected individual tried to overcome the barrier, they would be harshly pushed back by the end of that hard wooden rod. A fourth thrall was making their way down the ostentatious staircase that connected the floors, likely to back up their comrades in taking down the janitor and his protectorate or to attack the receptionists hiding behind the counter.  
  
It was the state of the four on the balcony, however, that was most pressing.  
  
A long-haired girl in a wheelchair had been backed up against the railing, her face stricken with shock and panic. She was frozen in fear, mouth struggling to even scream as the thralls approached her. They had her completely and utterly trapped, leaving not a single opening for her to escape through. Within mere moments, she would join them - she would become another victim of Argo-N's monstrous schemes.  
  
It was a fate she was helpless to resist.  
  
… The girl’s shoulders slumped.  
  
Setsuna started running.

_She hated that look._

The girl seemed so far away. Mere metres transformed into unfathomable chasm.  
  
It was an impossible distance.  
  
No normal human could cross it in so short a time.  
  
But -

A card, shining blue, manifested in her hand. Her jacket was next to go, thrown free into the wind. Around her waist, a belt gleamed with power and light.  
  
She was no normal human.

**R A I J U**   


" **Henshin!** "  
  
Lightning crackled. The air hissed with ozone.

And thunder tumbled off the balcony, the girl held in a protective embrace.  
  
The infected hurried towards the edge. They looked past the molten railing, past the static upon the awning. They stared with empty eyes into the hissing garden, into the sparks that darted through the settling clouds of dust.  
  
A human had made a leap of faith.  
  
Underneath a caged storm that raged with life, the girl watched in disbelief. She looked upon a rising, faceless figure, who so gently and quietly lowered her safely to the earth. She looked upon an armoured warrior - clad in azure steel and white fire - whom the lightning called comrade.  
  
She looked upon the visage of a guardian, whose anger turned heavensward.  
  
A human had begged for salvation.  
  
And a god answered.  
  
She slashed her arm through the cocoon of thunderlight. And the storm howled, converging onto her in a bolt of lightning. Her eyeless helm pulsed once. Twice. Red feathers trailed free - and a flowing white sash gracefully settled around her neck.  
  
The wolf on her shoulder snarled.  
  
Kamen Rider Neo-N glanced down once at the awestruck girl, then strode forth.  
  
She dusted her hands.  
  
 _Cherish the innocent. Defend against evil._

* * *

_**Episode 1: Thunderstrike in the Dark!!** _


	5. Episode 2.1

_"Hey hey, did you hear? Someone blew up the chem lab!"  
"What?! I thought it was just a lightning strike!"  
"Me too, but get this - Uzuki swears she saw a weird shadow sneak in there that night!"_

_"My bro says they don't have no face!"  
"No face? Sounds like one of those monsters to me."_

_"I don't think they're a bad guy. They haven't hurt anyone, right?"  
"Then why do they always turn up at an attack? Just saying, it's a little suss -"_

_"Dude, you know that urban legend going around? It passed me on the highway yesterday!"  
"How does something like that even get a license?"  
"I dunno, but what sort of idiot rides through a storm with no lights?"_

_"Girl, I'm telling you - no way they're not a hero! You gotta believe me!"  
"What, you _really _think your cousin was saved by some kinda **masked** -"_

"Rider ..."  
  
Lightning ran down her legs.  
  
" **Jump.** "  
  
Electricity leapt from the soles of her feet. With a crackling, ear-splitting explosion, Kamen Rider Neo-N erupted free of the earth, violent white sparks trailing after her as she pierced through the air like a thunderbolt from the heavens. The four infected individuals, observing her from atop the remains of the once-opulent balcony, were granted no chance to react. In a flash, she was amongst them - heralded only by the smell of burning sulphur and the great cacophony of a dozen cannons discharging all at once. They shrieked in fear and pain, cowering away from her light. And one by one - before her faceless glare - they were laid low.  
  
In the face of a typhoon manifest - what human would not run?  
  
She turned her gaze upon the rest of the lobby, the four buckling to their knees behind her as she strode away from the balcony's edge. At the bottom of stairs, one of the remaining thralls was climbing over the reception counter, wrestling with a receptionist struggling to hold him off with a clipboard. It was tremendous effort, but one that seemed too futile - Argo-N's terrible virus had forced the unfortunate infectee to spread his curse with not a regard for even the limits of his own body, and slowly and surely he began to overwhelm the poor receptionist. Soon, she too would join their ranks.  
  
Neo-N would change that future.  
  
Sparks flew. She burst into a sprint, faster than any human could possibly achieve. Her form resembled a blue blur - a beast of lightning overcoming that great span within mere seconds. Before the infected doctor could sink his teeth into the receptionist's neck, she was already crouched in between them, a single armoured palm holding back his atrocious attack. Neo-N rose, crackling brightly as she gently and firmly pushed back his chest - and then he was lying over the counter, the strength in his legs stolen by the blinding light of her power.  
  
"... W-what is this?"  
  
The question came as a whisper. It was all that the receptionist at her feet - shocked and confused - could even begin to muster.  
  
"Run."  
  
And Neo-N responded with only a word.  
  
It was a word that the woman fortunately heeded. She scrambled to her feet, stumbling as she ran to join her compatriots. The warrior quietly watched their panicked retreat. Then, satisfied, she turned to leap the counter, fixing her attention upon the next problem ahead of her.  
  
The janitor's watch had ended. One of the three infected had triumphed over the amateurish barricade, hands wrapped around the frightened man's neck. But just as the thrall's mouth opened to reveal her gleaming fangs, the couch let out a deafening bang, and they scattered, what remained of their survival instincts pushing them to escape from the glowing, smoking hole in the fabric. There was another pen in Neo-N's hand, but she discarded it as quickly as she grabbed it, instead darting across the lobby before the three infected could recover and restart their assault.  
  
She was by the janitor's side in moments. The warrior shot a single, short glance at his pale face and his unmarked neck. He started as she placed a gauntleted hand reassuringly on his shoulder, but Neo-N did not let it linger. She moved on, purposefully and slowly treading towards the remaining three infected. They shielded their eyes with their hands, desperately trying to avoid looking at her. But she was too radiant a beacon, pulsing with shimmering currents that danced along her entire body. And as her approach brought her closer and closer, they could only slump in defeat - paralyzed by the power she possessed.  
  
"Is that the last of them?" she spoke, her voice carrying through the silence of the lobby.  
  
The janitor, still lying prone behind her, could only nod weakly.  
  
Neo-N’s shoulders relaxed.  
  
[And the kakegoe rang out as if to mark her victory.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-7nVqIkbwE)  
  
Setsuna stepped away, cutting off the theatrical ringtone as she held the phone up to her faceless helm. For a brief moment, there was only the sound of traffic and static, but it was soon replaced by the cheerful and energetic voice of Hayase Hirogami.  
  
"Hi hi, are you winning, Sets?"  
  
"Bright light is highly effective." She was already putting distance between her and those she had temporarily saved, her tone low and quiet as to not be overheard. "But I don’t know how long its effects will last."  
  
Her senior made a thoughtful noise. "Vampires _are_ sensitive to sunlight, but the extent -"  
  
"Did you confirm that this is the result of -"  
  
"Bite-based infections, long fangs, attacked something with poison?" Hayase clicked her tongue. "Pretty sure, but tell me what’s going on with you."  
  
Setsuna quickly ran down a list. "No physical enhancement, but they seem to ignore their sense of pain? No hostility to each other. Easily spooked when exposed to brightness."  
  
"Sounds like vampire thralls to me - I think. They’re a bit weak-willed."  
  
"How should I contain them?"  
  
"Um, I think you have to -" Hayase was interrupted by the sound of a car’s horn. "Sorry, just gimme a sec."  
  
"Don’t talk while driving," said Setsuna flatly.  
  
"It’s fine, it’s fine! I’m hands-free!"  
  
"... Mmhm."  
  
"Um, anyway." Her senior cleared her throat. "You said it was easy to spook them, right? Don’t they have those big LED lamps in surgery theatres? Round them up in a locked room and keep those on, maybe?"  
  
It was a good idea. Setsuna cast her attention towards the thralls she had dealt with. They were still weakly lying where she had left them, their demeanour a far cry from the dangerous, single-minded zeal that they once possessed. Her stomach churned bitterly at the sight of them. It was a relief to know that they could be so easily stopped, but … they were human beings too, and to see human beings stripped of their faculties, left in such miserable states …  
  
She utterly despised it.  
  
Argo-N had to pay. Once she ensured that the virus could not spread any further, then hunting down the source of this evil was paramount.  
  
"... I’m checking Twitter for vampire sightings," came Hayase’s voice once more. "Right now I’m going to the docks, but if anybody says something you bet I’ll head their way and tell you. "  
  
"I appreciate it, Yacchin."  
  
"You should get a Twitter. I’ll follow you too."  
  
Setsuna shrugged. "Beat Takeshi doesn’t have a Twitter."  
  
"Sounds about right." Her senior giggled, before a curiosity entered her voice. "Oh, they’re saying something about … the police? Do you know anything about that?"  
  
The memory of Kuo’s phone call immediately came to mind.  
  
"... I’m not entirely sure," she replied carefully, "but Yacchin - whatever you do, be careful."  
  
"Don’t worry yourself about me." Hayase’s tone was warm. "You go and take care of Chuusei."  
  
Behind her faceless mask, the teenage girl smiled. "Thank you."  
  
The line crackled a little. The other woman was silent. Then:  
  
"And … are you doing okay?"  
  
Setsuna breathed in. "I am."  
  
"... That’s good." A note of relief. "Good luck, okay?"  
  
The call disconnected.  
  
Silently, the girl pocketed her phone. Once more, she returned her attention to the situation at hand, watching as those still in the lobby put a safer distance between them and the infected. It was more than fortunate that she had chosen to look in on Suzuki. If she had left the hospital to its own devices … an uncomfortable cool ran down Setsuna’s spine - the prospect was almost too horrifying to imagine.  
  
Yet even so, she had still failed to stop that one doctor - failed to prevent Argo-N from making more victims out of the innocent.  
  
Had she been more careful …  
  
Setsuna banished the thoughts from her mind. The past could not be changed. Right now, she had a duty to contain the outbreak. There were eight of the infected here, still stunned by the lightning she controlled, and the old doctor and Suzuki were likely still in the locked room of the emergency ward, unlikely to escape.  
  
She grimaced again at the memory of the former - the injuries she had dealt to him, if - no, _when_ \- a cure was found, she would need to make it up to him.  
  
In any case, her senior’s suggestion was a reasonable one. With the help of the staff, setting up containment would be relatively simple. Corralling all the infected in a room … that was something she could do quite quickly.  
  
And once her duty here was complete, she would need to:  
  
[] Rendezvous with her senior. Given how long Argo-N’s monster had been left unattended, it was all but certain that an outbreak of sorts was already underway somewhere. It would be safer if she was there to help Hayase with whatever signs were discovered.  
[] Check up on the police. If her suspicions proved true, then the situation that called Detective Kuo away earlier was just as likely to be an Argo-N plot. She could trust Hayase to alert her to any news while she looked for any leads with whatever the police were dealing with.


End file.
